Bring Out Yer Dead (Chapbooks)

I was just thinking on Sunday how sort of tragic it was that the chapbook was such a quickly-expiring literary form. And then this arrived in my email today:

SEVEN KITCHENS PRESS is excited to announce a new chapbook series: the ReBound Series will further expand our mission to bring new and/or underappreciated writers to a broader audience by reprinting out-of-print chapbooks in select new editions. Each title in the series will feature an introductory foreword by a nominating writer (who will be given the opportunity to edit the introduction); self-nominations will not be accepted. As with all our titles, the authors (if available) will work closely with the editor in the production process; each chapbook will feature a full-color cover and ISBN, and will be printed in an initial set of 125 copies. (Subsequent printings will follow if the initial print run sells out.) Complete guidelines are below:

The ReBound Series from Seven Kitchens Press will select one to two out-of-print chapbooks each fall to publish in new editions the following calendar year. Each chapbook submitted for consideration must be accompanied by two- to five-paragraph nomination, completed by a writer other than the author. This nomination may be sent separately, and will be edited to serve as the introductory foreword to the winning chapbook(s).

The annual reading period will extend from September 21 – December 21, and the selected title(s) will be announced the following February.

Each winning author will receive fifty (50) copies of his or her hand-trimmed, hand-tied chapbook. Additionally, the publisher will distribute ten review copies to reviewers, libraries, and organizations at the author’s recommendation.

Nominated chapbooks may not exceed 27 pages in length (excluding front matter). Chapbooks published within larger bound works (i.e., as a section in a literary journal or as part of an omnibus volume) are eligible. Chapbooks published online are not eligible: we are looking to revive out-of-print work.

Submit an original copy of the chapbook, along with a cover letter of nomination by a second writer. [NOTE: The nomination letter may be sent separately, but must be provided for the winning title(s) as part of the editorial process.] Chapbooks may be submitted by either the author or nominator, but must be accompanied by a $12 reading fee, payable by check to Ron Mohring or via PayPal to sevenkitchens at yahoo dot com.

Do not include SASE or SAS postcard for acknowledgment; work received will be publicly logged by title and manuscript number on the Seven Kitchens blog.

Manuscripts will not be returned. If you do not wish to send a rare copy of the chapbook, please send a clean, legible photocopy of all pages, including the front and back cover.

Each manuscript must be accompanied by a signed statement from the author, nominator or literary executor, attesting that the work is out of print. Winners will be responsible for securing reprint permission from the original publisher within three months of 7KP’s winning announcement.

Each entrant will receive one copy of the winning chapbook (if more than one winning title is selected, entrants may choose which title they would like to receive). Entrants are responsible for keeping the press apprised of changes in address or contact e-mail.

The judge for this series is Ron Mohring. Because of the nature of this contest, it is impossible to exclude work that may be previously familiar to the judge; however, every effort shall be made to select the finest representative titles from a wide aesthetic range. The goal of the ReBound Series is not to reward friends and acquaintances, but to bring deserving poetry titles back into print, where they will gain an extended readership.